According to the Canadian Press on Wednesday, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Dany Heatley of Calgary, Alberta has signed a one year deal worth $1 million with the Anaheim Ducks. Last season with the Minnesota Wild, Heatley had 12 goals and 16 assists with 28 points in 76 regular season games.

Heatley joins a Ducks franchise that won the Pacific Division in 2013-14. However the franchise lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in seven games in the Western Conference semi-final.

In order for Heatley to make an impact in Anaheim in the upcoming season, he will need to be much better in the defensive zone. Last season, Heatley was a career worst -18 on a Minnesota Wild team that is generally known for being defensively sound.

The Wild will be Heatley's fifth NHL team. He has also played with the Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks since entering the NHL in 2002.

In 863 career regular season games, Heatley has 372 goals, 419 assists and 791 points. Twice with the Senators he has notched 50 goals and passed the 100 point plateau.

Heatley's gold medal with Canada came at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in men's hockey. During the tournament, Heatley had four goals and three assists for seven points.

Heatley is the latest acquisition for the Ducks in a very busy off-season. On June 27, the Ducks acquired Ryan Kesler and a third round pick in 2015 from the Vancouver Canucks for Luca Sbisa, Nick Bonino, and two draft picks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The Ducks have also acquired forward Nate Thompson from the Tampa Bay Lightning, defenseman Clayton Stoner from the Minnesota Wild and goaltender Jason LaBarbera from Chicago.

Among the players the Ducks have lost in the offseason include goaltender Jonas Hiller to Calgary, and defenseman Stephane Robidas to Toronto, center Matthieu Perreault to Winnipeg and enforcer Zach Stortini to Philadelphia. Hiller and Robidas are veteran players who Heatley will be required to replace in terms of leadership in Anaheim.

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Jeremy Freeborn is a freelance writer based in Calgary. He has a Communications Degree from the University of Calgary and a Broadcasting Diploma from Mount Royal College. He is very passionate about a wide range of local sports. His past experiences include working at the Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum, the FAN 960, as an editor for GO! Magazines, and completing a practicum for TSN Sportscentre. You can still hear him as Sports Freak on JACK FM. Contact Jeremy.